Home is Where the Heart is

As I have blogged before I have ‘issues’ with my current job. The work is mostly easy and I get out of the office when I want to and get to see some beautiful parts of my patch as part of my job. I haven’t even mentioned just how good the pension is. However, I’m not challenged (or not in a good way). I’m bored and I feel like I’m fading in to obscurity.

I went for an interview three weeks ago but I didn’t get the job, however, they are considering me for another, lower paid, position in the organisation. It’s in a sector that I enjoy working in as they end product gives me satisfaction. I’m helping others and helping others is good for my soul.

I always keep my CV on Monster as you never know when a good opportunity will arise. Today I had a phone call. A phone call from the people behind the Olympic Delivery Authority. I hadn’t thought about going back to Civil Engineering, but this would be different. This would be as a client and I like client side work. Also, this is the Big One. It’s the most high profile construction job in this country for a generation.

The last Big One was the Channel Tunnel. There have been some amazing jobs built since then (Jubilee Line Extension, CTRL, Heathrow T5 to name a few) but non have captured the imagination of the country quite like the Tunnel. The Olympics will be this generations show stopper (unless they cock it up on a grand scale…) and I could have the chance to be a part of it, influence the design of the projects, control costs and keep the construction workers safe.

Not to mention the big fat pay rise.

I like the sound of it, I do, but it would mean working in Canary Wharf. I’d be in with the big wigs and the hot shots but 1 ¾ hours door to door from home and the job will be high pressure. If I succeed then future high profile jobs will follow with suitably large pay packets but, as always in this business ,you have to go where the work is and the big, big jobs could mean overseas. 10 years ago I’d have jumped at the chance but I’ve worked with too many guys who have lost their family to the job. Guys with snapshots on their desks of children on once monthly weekend visits to their father. Would that really happen to me……

A weekend to mull over the prospect.